The Cloudeight Ten Commandments of Safe Computing

The Cloudeight Ten Commandments of Safe Computing

We could write a book (you know us) about computer safety (and we have), but we wanted to pare down our list and create the Ten Commandments of Safe Computing. Our missions are to help you with your computer, help you safely navigate the web, and keep you safe from scammers and other online criminals. We want you all to enjoy your computers and other internet-connected devices.

Here are our Ten Commandments of Safe Computing

1. Fortify Your Defenses: Install strong antivirus/anti-malware software and keep it updated. We use and recommend Emsisoft. Emsisoft automatically updates and keeps your computer protected with a minimum amount of fuss.

2. Guard Your Gateway: Secure your home router with a unique password. Routers come with default passwords. Make sure you change yours to something strong and unique.

3. Think Before You Click: Always verify the legitimacy of websites and senders before clicking links or opening attachments. Hover over links to see the true destination URL. NEVER CLICK LINKS IN EMAILS UNLESS YOU ARE SURE YOU KNOW WHO SENT THEM.

4. Windows Updates: Don’t procrastinate: Update your operating system whenever updates become available to patch security vulnerabilities.

5. Craft Unbreakable Passwords: Create complex passwords with a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Make them unique for each account. Use a password manager. Use Two-Factor authentication (2FA) whenever available. Use passkeys whenever you can.

6. Beware of the Phisherman: Be cautious of suspicious emails, links, and attachments. Don’t fall for phishing scams or click on unknown sources. Again… NEVER CLICK LINKS IN EMAILS UNLESS YOU ARE SURE YOU KNOW WHO SENT THEM. BANKS, CREDIT CARD COMPANIES, AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WILL NEVER ASK YOU TO CLICK A LINK TO CHANGE YOUR INFO… THEY WILL ASK YOU TO GO TO THEIR WEBSITE AND SIGN IN.

7. Backup Regularly, Breathe Easy: Back up your important data to an external drive or cloud storage for peace of mind. We recommend OneDrive. For $9.99 a month, you get one terabyte of cloud backup & storage space and the latest version of MS365 (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Outlook & more). Nope. Microsoft does not pay us to recommend OneDrive. We have been using it for years. It makes moving to a new computer as easy as pie.

8. Be Wary of Public Wi-Fi: Avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive activities like online banking or entering passwords. If you find it necessary to use public Wi-Fi to access financial or personal data, always use a VPN for added security.

9. Privacy Matters: Manage Settings: Consider disabling unused camera and microphone permissions to prevent unauthorized access.

10. Scammers and scams are everywhere. If someone tries to pressure you or threaten you into acting immediately or paying them with gift cards, disconnect from the internet and wait a few minutes before reconnecting. If something seems too good to be true, there’s a 99.9% chance it is too good to be true. 

Following our ten commandments of safe computing is just a good start.  Stay informed, always be wary, and never assume something is safe unless you’re certain it is.